Pakhowal road ROB, RUB project set to miss December deadline too

The much-touted project for establishing a railway overbridge (ROB) and two railway underbridges (RUB) on Pakhowal road railway crossing is set to miss its December deadline too.

Started under the Smart City Mission last year, with an aim to bring relief from traffic jams witnessed on the Pakhowal road railway crossing due to the movement of at least 18 trains every day, the ₹120-crore project is moving at a snail’s pace.

Under the project, a ROB, 839.83 metres in length, is being constructed for the movement of traffic from Pakhowal road canal bridge towards the Hero Bakery Chowk. Besides, a RUB, 1,018.46 metres in length, is being constructed from the Pakhowal road canal bridge up to the Leisure Valley in Sarabha Nagar, and another RUB, 458.20 metres in length, is being constructed from Hero Bakery Chowk up to the Pakhowal Road canal bridge.

Cabinet minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu had initially claimed that the RUB from Pakhowal road to Sarabha Nagar will be complete by July 2021. Due to pending works, the deadline was extended to August 31 and then further to Diwali and finally till December 31. But as per officials, the project will need at least two to three months more for completion.

Work on the RUB had remained suspended for the last three weeks after a chamber of the main sewer line, crossing from the site, got damaged and the area turned into a cesspool. As claimed by municipal corporation (MC) officials, the chamber was damaged by a railway contractor during digging. The chamber has been repaired and work resumed on November 17.

But MC officials say the railways is to be blamed for the slow pace of the project.

An MC official on the condition of anonymity said, “Around 70% of the MC’s work has been completed, while the bridge on the railway portion is pending. Around 90% of the work of RUB, leading towards Sarabha Nagar, has been completed and it will be opened for traffic by the end of December. But the deadline to complete the entire project will be extended for 2-3 months.”

Deputy chief engineer, Northern railways, Williamjit Singh, said the work of the railways is going on as per the schedule and there is no major delay. The railway portions will be completed by December 31.

Official speak

The project is being monitored on a regular basis and a notice has been issued to the contractor over the slow pace of work. The railways had delayed the project in the past. The work is now being expedited and the contractor has been directed to meet the December 31 deadline.

Pardeep Sabharwal, MC commissioner

The slow pace of work at the site is due to lack of coordination between the MC and railways. Most of the projects being taken up under the smart city mission have been marred by slow pace of work and it is a serious issue. I will take up the matter in the next meeting of the board of directors of Ludhiana Smart City Limited.

Sanjay Goel, director, Ludhiana Smart City Limited

Even after the Malhar road project was delayed, the Pakhowal road project has been allotted to the same contractor. The officials have also failed to keep a check on the quality. The MC officials should impose penalties on the contractor as per the terms and conditions of the contract, as the delay is resulting in harassment of the residents.

Kapil Arora, president, Council of Engineers